Other People’s Songs 77: That Old Black Magic (and a lot of laughs)

 

By Aaron Galbraith and Tony Attwood

Aaron: That Old Black Magic was written in 1942 and has become an often-recorded standard.  Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics with Judy Garland in mind; Harold Arlen wrote the music.  Garland recorded the song for Decca Records in 1942; five other recordings were released as singles within the next two weeks.

Tony: I can’t let Harold Arlen’s mention pass by: he was one of the great, great songwriters of the era, including “Let’s Fall in Love” and “Stormy Weather”.  And he wrote, wait for it, “Over the Rainbow” often called “Somewhere over the rainbow”.   But my absolute favourite, is none of those, and I’m sure you know all those songs anyway, so I don’t have to repeat them here.  So, if I may, let me instead direct your attention to…

And in you want to, in watching that you can learn how to act with your eyes.

Oh yes and just contemplate the line, “On a clear day you can see Alcatraz”.    OK Bob took songwriting to another world totally, but let us never forget Harold Arlen.   (If you leave the video running there are some more classics, but in case you feel that I have now finally lost my marbles once and for all, I shall return us to the plot…)

Aaron:  As part of his album “My Name is Allan”, Allan Sherman sang a parody of this song called “That Old Back Scratcher”

Tony: This is an amazing example of how to start a song on completely the wrong note, and get away with it and make it funny.  Actually, it is much harder than you might imagine – unless you are totally tone-deaf or unable to sing for any other reason.  Sherman does it but then recovers and I am not sure most of the audience notice!

And I can’t let this mention of Allan Sherman pass without reference to some more of his amazing song titles.  I think lots of people know “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” which was (I think) a hit, but can you imagine writing a song called “Let’s Hear It For Fuzzy Demarcation” or come to that “This Way I Look More Like Judy Garland.”

Of course being English I have to nominate another of his classics, “To Those Interested In British Foreign Policy During the Latter Half of the 19th Century” – ah they don’t write songs like that anymore, nor indeed “Disraeli Won’t You Please Come Home”.  

Mind you if you are not fully engaged with the history of British and American popular songs you might not get what, “How Deep Is a Birdbath” is actually very funny, nor perhaps “Seventy-Six Sol Cohens”.

I know he’s not everyone’s taste, but he was part of my upbringing, and I still love him for the laughs he gave me.

Aaron: Ray Davies version comes from 1998s The Storyteller album, I saw this live in Edinburgh and it was amazing.

Tony: Ah another hero – and nice to hear his voice again.   Ray (if I may be on first name terms, although we never met) come from the same part of London, and I lived very close to where he was brought up.  Although now I think of it we actually ought to call him Sir Ray since he was knighted six or seven years ago.

Aaron: Dr John

Tony: Hmmm… after all the fun above the bar is set very high, and this doesn’t add much for me.  I mean I know Doctor John was a really good singer – and of course he is still with us, but it’s not really making a connection – at least not after all the fun and memories I’ve had with the above

Aaron:  Dylan recorded a version of the song for his second album of standards, Fallen Angels. This is probably my favorite of all the standards Dylan recorded. I played this song to death when the album came out in 2016.

Tony:  I am sure if I heard this out of the blue without any information I wouldn’t think it was Bob until we get to the “stay away” line.  I’d love to know how the arrangements were worked out – I mean was Bob involved in creating the arrangement, or did it get written and then he learned his part?

I am sure that information is out there – maybe everyone knows it except me (not for the first time).  If you do know, please write in.

I can’t rave about it as you have Aaron, but I can enjoy it.   And now we’ve gone through the whole collection I can have some more fun with Allan Sherman.

Meanwhile here are the previous editions…

1. Other people’s songs. How Dylan covers the work of other composers
2. Other People’s songs: Bob and others perform “Froggie went a courtin”
3. Other people’s songs: They killed him
4. Other people’s songs: Frankie & Albert
5. Other people’s songs: Tomorrow Night where the music is always everything
6. Other people’s songs: from Stack a Lee to Stagger Lee and Hugh Laurie
7. Other people’s songs: Love Henry
8. Other people’s songs: Rank Stranger To Me
9. Other people’s songs: Man of Constant Sorrow
10. Other people’s songs: Satisfied Mind
11. Other people’s songs: See that my grave is kept clean
12. Other people’s songs: Precious moments and some extras
13. Other people’s songs: You go to my head
14. Other people’s songs: What’ll I do?
15. Other people’s songs: Copper Kettle
16. Other people’s songs: Belle Isle
17. Other people’s songs: Fixing to Die
18. Other people’s songs: When did you leave heaven?
19. Other people’s songs: Sally Sue Brown
20. Other people’s songs: Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
21. Other people’s songs: Step it up and Go
22. Other people’s songs: Canadee-I-O
23. Other people’s songs: Arthur McBride
24. Other people’s songs: Little Sadie
25. Other people’s songs: Blue Moon, and North London Forever
26. Other people’s songs: Hard times come again no more
27. Other people’s songs: You’re no good
28. Other people’s songs: Lone Pilgrim (and more Crooked Still)
29. Other people’s songs: Blood in my eyes
30. Other people’s songs: I forgot more than you’ll ever know
31.  Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
32. Other people’s songs: Highway 51
33. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
34. Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
35. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
36. Other people’s songs: Highway 51 Blues
37. Other people’s songs: Freight Train Blues
38. Other People’s Songs: The Little Drummer Boy
39. Other People’s Songs: Must be Santa
40. Other People’s songs: The Christmas Song
41. Other People’s songs: Corina Corina
42. Other People’s Songs: Mr Bojangles
43. Other People’s Songs: It hurts me too
44. Other people’s songs: Take a message to Mary
45. Other people’s songs: House of the Rising Sun
46. Other people’s songs: “Days of 49”
47. Other people’s songs: In my time of dying
48. Other people’s songs: Pretty Peggy O
49. Other people’s songs: Baby Let me Follow You Down
50. Other people’s songs: Gospel Plow
51. Other People’s Songs: Melancholy Mood
52. Other people’s songs: The Boxer and Big Yellow Taxi
53. Other people’s songs: Early morning rain
54. Other people’s Songs: Gotta Travel On
55. Other people’s songs: “Can’t help falling in love”
56. Other people’s songs: Lily of the West
57. Other people’s songs: Alberta
58. Other people’s songs: Little Maggie
59. Other people’s songs: Sitting on top of the world
60. Dylan’s take on “Let it be me”
61. Other people’s songs: From “Take me as I am” all the way to “Baker Street”
62. Other people’s songs: A fool such as I
63. Other people’s songs: Sarah Jane and the rhythmic changes
64. Other people’s songs: Spanish is the loving tongue. Author drawn to tears
65. Other people’s songs: The ballad of Ira Hayes
66. Other people’s songs: The usual
67. Other people’s songs: Blackjack Davey
68. Other people’s songs: You’re gonna quit me
69. Other people’s songs: You belong to me
70. Other people’s songs: Stardust
71. Other people’s songs: Diamond Joe
72. Other people’s songs: The Cuckoo
73. Other people’s songs: Come Rain or Come Shine
74. Other people’s songs: Two soldiers and an amazing discovery
75. Other people’s songs: Pretty Boy Floyd
76. Other people’s songs: My Blue Eyed Jane